UFC Fight Night 175: Smith vs Rakic 08/29/2020 Fight Analysis, Tips and Odds
UFC Fight Night 175: Smith vs Rakic 08/29/2020 – The Ultimate Fighting Championship is capping off the month of August with another blockbuster fight card this coming Saturday, the 29th in UFC Fight Night 175. This event will be held inside the closed-door venue of the UFC Apex located in the heart of Las Vegas, Nevada in the USA. A live audience is still not allowed inside the venue so fans can watch through Pay Per View or UFC Fight Pass subscription. The main event will feature two top light heavyweights wanting to inch closer to a title shot. It will be 5th ranked fighter Anthony Smith setting sight to lock horns inside the octagon with 9th ranked Aleksandar Rakic. According to UFC Fight Odds, the surging Rakic is the better bet to win this fight and overtake Smith in the rankings after the bout.
UFC Fight Night 175: Smith vs Rakic 08/29/2020
| When: | Saturday, August 29, 9:00 PM ET |
|---|---|
| Where: | UFC Apex, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA |
| TV: | Pay Per View |
| Stream: | UFC Fight Pass |
OOOOH! 🤯 @Rakic_UFC can turn the lights OFF. #UFCVegas8 pic.twitter.com/FdBM2BiLfI
— UFC (@ufc) August 24, 2020
UFC Fight Night 175: Smith vs Rakic 08/29/2020 Odds
| Fighter | Odds | Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony Smith | +240 | Aleksandar Rakic | -300 |
Main Card
Anthony Smith
Anthony Smith is known as the “Lionheart” inside the MMA cage and this 32-year-old fighter hails from Omaha, Nebraska. He stands at six-foot-four and fights normally at the light heavyweight division. His skills are being polished at the world-renowned Factory X stable. Smith’s professional MMA record now stands at 33-15 with 18 of his victories came from TKOs and 12 were from submissions. He started his journey in the UFC in February 2016 and won seven of his first nine fights. He lost against Jon Jones but scored a victory in his next bout going up against Alexander Gustafsson. His most recent fight was this May 2020 where he was knocked out by Glover Teixeira in the fifth round.
Aleksandar Rakic
Aleksandar Rakic is at his prime at 28 years old and carries the ring name of the “Rocket”. He stands at six-foot-five and came all the way from Viena, Austria. His MMA skills are credited from his training at Gym 23 and American Top Team. Rakic now holds a professional record of 12-2 with nine of his victories coming from the way of knockouts. He started fighting in the UFC in September 2017 and went undefeated in his first four fights in the light heavyweight division. His latest match was back in December 2019 and he was going up against the tough Volkan Oezdemir in UFC Fight Night 165. In that match, it went full three rounds but lost by a very close split decision.
Smith vs Rakic Betting Numbers
| Record | 33-15-0 | 10-1-0 |
| Last Fight | Loss | Loss |
| Country | USA | Austria |
| Height | 6′ 4″ | 6′ 5″ |
| Weight (lbs) | 205 | 205 |
| Reach (inches) | 76” | 78” |
| Win by KO/TKO | 55% | 75% |
| Win by Submission | 36% | 8% |
| Decisions | 6% | 17% |
| Strikes landed per minute | 3.19 | 5.17 |
| Striking accuracy | 46% | 52% |
| Striking absorbed per minute | 4.57 | 2.41 |
| Striking defense | 43% | 53% |
| Takedown average | 0.45 | 1.20 |
| Takedown accuracy | 27% | 28% |
| Takedown defense | 51% | 88% |
| Submission average | 0.7 | 0.3 |
Smith vs Rakic Betting Picks
In this match, Rakic is on the rise but was halted by Oezdemir. He is still considered as a fighter with very high potential and that is why Top Online Sportsbook sees him taking this match over Smith. This should be a fight that will be taken standing up with Rakic taking a first-round knockout over Smith.
